BackPorch Properties: March 2016

Saturday, March 19, 2016

March Is Almost Here - Charleston, SC - BackPorch Properties Newsletter

March is here and the weather is warming up and so is the event calendar. March will feature the 11th Annual Charleston Food + Wine Festival and Charleston Fashion Week. But get prepared for the Bridge Run, the WTA tennis tournament on Daniel Island, and Flowertown Festival at the beginning of April. Here is your March calendar of events:

2-6: 11th Charleston Food + Wine Festival
4-6: Bach Festival, First Scots Presbyterian Church
5: Front Best Fest, IOP
6-9: 17th Annual Kiawah Golf Resort National Pro-Am, Ocean Course
8,9: Moves, NY City Ballet, Gaillard
10: Leon Russell, Charleston Music Hall
10-13: 10th Annual Friendship Cup Golf Tour, Ocean Course
11,12: Charleston Tells Storytelling Fest, Wragg Square
12: 2nd Annual St Paddy’s Day Pawlooza
13: Indigo Girls, Charleston Music Hall
13-20: 13th Annual Charleston Antiques Show, Meminger Hall
14: George Thorogood, Charleston Music Hall
15: Moody Blues, N Chas PAC
15-19: Charleston Fashion Week, Marion Square
16: Joan Baez, Charleston Music Hall
16-24: Annual Festival of Houses and Gardens
20: Charleston World Heritage Oyster Roast, McLeod Plantation
19,20: Pet Fest 2016, Mt Pleasant Palmetto Isles Park
21: Need to Breathe Golf Tournament, Daniel Island Club
27: 15th Annual Hat Ladies Easter Promenade

Our new Mayor, John Tecklenburg, seems to be off to a fast start. It appears that he’s going to do great things for our city. Travel and Leisure Magazine voted Charleston the Best City in North America. Revelry Brewers of Charleston just won the Gold Medal for Best Craft Beer in Bend Oregon. And several of our local chefs and restaurants have been nominated for this year’s James Beard Awards.

All of this great events and accolades have of course put Charleston on the radar and people are moving here quickly. Our real estate market continues to outperform. Last year was our 3rd busiest year ever with our largest median sales price ever. We sold over 15k homes with a median sales price of $235k. So far in 2016, each week has been slightly better than the same week from last year. So, it looks like a record setting year for Charleston real estate. About 40% of what we have under contract is new construction. A lot of that is taking place in the Summerville/Goose Creek areas where you can buy great new homes for $95/sqft. This area will become even more popular with the building of the new Volvo plant. We do have a lot of new construction though in Mt Pleasant, one of our more expensive and sought after areas. It’s getting difficult to find anything in Mt Pleasant for under $300k. Daniel Island and North Charleston, on opposite ends of the price scale, are extremely popular because of their proximity to Boeing. Johns Island also is seeing a major boom of new construction and is only 20 minutes to downtown. West Ashley continues to be the most centrally located, both physically and price-wise. Please let me know if you know of anyone that needs my help with real estate.

Contact with us at:

Back Porch Properties
1180 Sam Rittenberg Blvd #105
Charleston, SC 29407
(843) 300-2766
Connect with us on:

Facebook Page
LinkedIn Company Page
Twitter Profile

Originally Published at: http://www.backporchproperties.com/2016/02/26/march-is-almost-here-march-newsletter/

Friday, March 18, 2016

Searching For Charleston SC Homes In The Palm Of Your Hand - BackPorch Properties iOS App

BackPorch Properties Mobile App! Start your home search here today! See what the current homes in your neighborhood are being sold for and even look at rentals available in your area.

Key Features

Dynamic map Add a pinpoint or draw a perimeter to see nearby homes for sale, open houses, or rental properties.
Custom Searches Add search filters like price, neighborhood, number of beds, open houses, and more.
Get Local See what schools and other points of interest are nearby.
Full screen photo gallery Scroll through vivid, full-screen photos of homes.
Anytime Access Save searches and listings, including notes or added property photos, across all your devices.
Find an agent Not already working with an agent? Find a KW agent and send property inquiries instantly.
Share information Easily share homes through text, email, Facebook, or Twitter.
Be calculated Free mortgage calculator to estimate home loan and monthly payments

Preparing To Sell Your Home in Charleston, SC with BackPorch Properties

Selling your home doesn′t just mean hiring a realtor to stick a sign out front. There are a lot of preparations you should make to ensure you get the best offer possible in the shortest time.

Repair. Just because you’ve gotten used to the cracks in the walls and the rattles in the radiators doesn’t mean a buyer will too. If you have hardwood floors that need refinishing, be sure to get it done—hardwood is a huge selling point. Buyers like to snoop around, so be sure to fix any sticky doors or drawers as well. Finally, don’t forget to address any issues with the exterior—fences, shingles, sidewalks, etc. After all, without curb appeal, some buyers may never get to see the inside.

Neutralize. You want buyers to see themselves in your home. If your living room has lime green shag, wood-paneled walls, and all your collectibles and personal photographs, this will be much harder for them to do. Try replacing any bold color choices in your floors and walls with something more neutral—beiges, tans, and whites. Repainting and reflooring will make everything look fresh and new, and help prospective buyers imagine all the possibilities.

Stage. Once your house is clean and updated, it’s time to play dress up. Home stagers can add small details and décor touches that will bring out the possibilities in the various spaces in your home: lamps, mirrors, throw rugs and pillows, flowers, decorative soaps and towels, patio furniture. Home staging can be particularly useful if your home is especially old or if the exterior looks dated. Think of it as a little mascara and rouge—if it’s done right, you notice the beauty, not the makeup.

Thursday, March 17, 2016

Dealing With Home Financing in Charleston, SC - Tips From BackPorch Properties

As the events of the last few years in the real estate industry show, people forget about the tremendous financial responsibility of purchasing a home at their peril. Here are a few tips for dealing with the dollar signs so that you can take down that “for sale” sign on your new home.

Get pre-approved. Sub-primes may be history, but you’ll probably still be shown homes you can’t actually afford. By getting pre-approved as a buyer, you can save yourself the grief of looking at houses you can’t afford. You can also put yourself in a better position to make a serious offer when you do find the right house. Unlike pre-qualification, which is based on a cursory review of your finances, pre-approval from a lender is based on your actual income, debt and credit history. By doing a thorough analysis of your actual spending power, you’ll be less likely to get in over your head.

Choose your mortgage carefully. Used to be the emphasis when it came to mortgages was on paying them off as soon as possible. Today, the debt the average person will accumulate due to credit cards, student loans, etc. means it’s better to opt for the 30-year mortgage instead of the 15-year. This way, you have a lower monthly payment, with the option of paying an additional principal when money is good. Additionally, when picking a mortgage, you usually have the option of paying additional points (a portion of the interest that you pay at closing) in exchange for a lower interest rate. If you plan to stay in the house for a long time—and given the current real estate market, you should—taking the points will save you money.

Do your homework before bidding. Before you make an offer on a home, do some research on the sales trends of similar homes in the neighborhood with sites like Zillow. Consider especially sales of similar homes in the last three months. For instance, if homes have recently sold for 5 percent less than the asking price, your opening bid should probably be about 8 to 10 percent lower than what the seller is asking.

Relocating To Charleston, SC - Tips To Make Your Move Be Painless

Moving from a small town or suburb to a large city can be an intimidating proposition. Here are a few tips to help make your move as painless as possible.

Research before you move. It’s important to understand the culture you’re joining. Do research online and find out about school systems, neighborhoods, parking, weather, public transportation, and laws that are native to that area. If you can, visit a city before moving and connect with someone who’s lived there before.

Have a plan. There are a lot of steps to go through before you start packing the moving truck. Find housing before you leave, or at least know where you’ll stay while you look for a home. Never sign a lease on an apartment that you haven’t seen. If you can’t get there, find a friend or an employer to check for you. Have a job waiting for you, or if that’s not possible, know what you’ll do for money in the first few weeks of living there. Try to line up things like driver’s licenses, car insurance, renter’s insurance, and parking passes ahead of time as well.

Get involved. Meeting people in a big city can be daunting. Don’t expect the neighbors to knock your door down with a casserole when you arrive: city life is often too noisy and hectic. Take the initiative. If there are things you liked to do in your town, find ways to do those things in the city. Try new things. Volunteer. Big cities offer so many opportunities to engage other people, so find what you like.

Mind your wallet. City life is expensive. Everything costs more: food, insurance, clothes, rent. There are also a lot more ways to get ripped off, whether legally or criminally. Be careful how you spend, and know where your money is going.

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

5 Tips for Buying a Home In Charleston, SC

Looking to buy a home? Here are five essential tips for making the process as smooth as possible.

Get your finances in order.

Start by getting a full picture of your credit. Obtain copies of your credit report. Make sure the facts are correct, and fix any problems you find. Next, find a suitable lender and get pre-approved for a loan. This will put you in a better position to make a serious offer when you do find the right house.

Find a house you can afford.

As with engagement rings, there’s a general rule of thumb when it comes to buying a home: two-and-a-half times your annual salary. There are also a number of tools and calculators online that can help you understand how your income, debt, and expenses affect what you can afford. Don’t forget, too, that there are lots of considerations beyond the sticker price, including property taxes, energy costs, etc.

Hire a professional.

While the Internet gives buyers unprecedented access to home listings and resources, many aspects of the buying process require a level of expertise you can’t pick up from surfing the web. That’s why you’re better off using a professional agent than going it alone. If possible, recruit an exclusive buyer agent, who will have your interests at heart and can help you with strategies during the bidding process.

Do your homework.

Before making a bid, do some research to determine the state of the market at large. Is it more favorable for sellers or buyers? Next, look at sales trends of similar homes in the area or neighborhood. Look at prices for the last few months. Come up with an asking price that’s competitive, but also realistic. Otherwise, you may end up ticking off your seller.

Think long term.

Obviously, you shouldn’t buy unless you’re sure you’ll be staying put for at least a few years. Beyond that, you should buy in a neighborhood with good schools. Whether you have children or not, this will have an impact on your new home’s resale value down the line. When it comes to the house itself, you should hire your own home inspector, who can point out potential problems that could require costly repairs in the future.

Back Porch Properties
1180 Sam Rittenberg Blvd #105
Charleston, SC 29407
(843) 300-2766

Connect with us on:

Facebook Page
LinkedIn Company Page
Twitter Profile

Originally Published at: http://www.backporchproperties.com/2015/12/23/5-tips-for-buying-a-home/

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